APPLICATION CASE Chapter 8 HRM

Chapter 8: application Case
REINVENTING THE WHEEL AT APEX DOOR COMPANY
Jim Delaney, president of Apex Door, has a problem. No matter how often he tells his employees
how to do their jobs, they invariably decide to do it their way, as he puts it, and arguments ensue
between Jim, the employee, and the employee s supervisor. One example is the door-design
department, where the designers are expected to work with the architects to design doors that
meet the specifications. While it s not rocket science, as Jim puts it, the designers invariably
make mistakes such as designing in too much steel, a problem that can cost Apex tens of
thousands of wasted dollars, once you consider the number of doors in, say, a 30-story office
tower. The order processing department is another example. Jim has a very specific and detailed
way he wants the order written up, but most of the order clerks don t understand how to use the
multipage order form. They simply improvise when it comes to a detailed question such as
whether to classify the customer as industrial or commercial. The current training process is as
follows. None of the jobs has a training manual per se, although several have somewhat out-of-
date job descriptions. The training for new people is all on the job. Usually, the person leaving
the company trains the new person during the 1- or 2-week overlap period, but if there’s no
overlap, the new person is trained as well as possible by other employees who have filled in
occasionally on the job in the past. The training is the same throughout the company for
machinists, secretaries, assemblers, engineers, and accounting clerks, for example. Questions; -
1. What do you think of Apex s training process? Could it help to explain why employees do
things their way? If so, how?
2. What role should job descriptions play in training at Apex?
3. Explain in detail what you would do to improve the training process at Apex. Make sure to
provide specific suggestions, please.
1
Answers
1. I think the training process at Apex has no organizational effectiveness. It’s unstructured,
and there is no training documentation which makes the entire training process weak. It
appears the employee does things their way because the company clearly does not have in
place a structured training process. The employee assigned to perform training is likely to
have very low motivation, partial training their self, and few of the necessary skills
needed to train. The employee must know what an employer wants them to do and how
they want them to do it. If the employee is left not knowing, then he/she is left to
improvise or teach other employees "their way" of accomplishing tasks. There are no
outcome measures to determine if the training was successful.
2. The job description should play a pertinent role in training at Apex because the job
description defines the learning requirements for a new or transitioning employee while
also setting the boundaries of employment in terms of required knowledge and skills. By
understanding the job description, a trainer can utilize the information it provides to write
job descriptions and job specifications, which are utilized in recruitment and selection,
compensation, performance appraisal, and training. Not only the trainee, but also the
trainer can define the learning requirements for new or transitioning employees by
understanding the job description.
3. They should first be able to identify groups that would create a diverse workforce.
Examples: single parents, older workers, minorities and women, welfare recipients, and
global candidates. In order to retain these employees, students would first need to
understand the needs of each group, and then create plans and programs that
accommodate these specific needs. For example, to attract and keep single mothers,
employers could give employees schedule flexibility, and train the supervisors to have an
increased awareness of and sensitivity to the challenges single parents face. sourced with
consideration give to the same set of advantages and disadvantages listed above. The
training plans need to be created by training experts familiar with the actual position and
compiled into a training manual applicable to each section...
Every position would have a formal (written) description. Training procedures would be
documented for each position. Supervisors would be formally accountable for training.
End

APPLICATION CASE Chapter 8 HRM

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Chapter 8: application Case

REINVENTING THE WHEEL AT APEX DOOR COMPANY

2. What role should job descriptions play in training at Apex?

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